It was a night for romance given the astonishing story that Sabah brought with them to Old Trafford for their Champions League debut. This is a club that did not even exist a decade ago and nobody saw their bolt to the title in Azerbaijan coming last season; in 2024-25, they had finished 41 points off the top. The job that their manager, Valdas Dambrauskas, has done since taking over in the summer of last year is extraordinary.It was also a night for cold, hard reality. Manchester United were back in Europe’s elite competition after a two-year hiatus and in need of something to soothe them after the trauma of their last-gasp coughing up of two points in Sunday’s Premier League draw at Everton. And ahead of the extremely serious business of Sunday’s derby here against Manchester City. They got it on the back of a first-half performance that burned slowly before catching fire. Continue reading...
Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves (Picture: Getty) Owen Hargreaves believes Kobbie Mainoo can become one of the world’s best as Manchester United cruised to victory in the Champions League over Sabah. Back in Europe’s premier competition for the first time since 2023, United eased to a 4-0 win over the tournament debutants at Old Trafford. Matheus Cunha opened the scoring after 27 minutes before quickfire goals from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko put Michael Carrick’s side in total control at half-time. Lisandro Martinez made the most of a goalkeeper mistake to add United’s fourth in the second half as the Red Devils strolled to a comfortable victory in front of their own fans. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. With a derby against Manchester City on Sunday, Carrick made a few changes to his side for Thursday’s win, but the United boss kept with his preferred duo of Youri Tielemans and Mainoo in the heart of midfield. After falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo has come back into the fold under Carrick and thrived in the second half of last season as the Red Devils got themselves back into the top four. The 21-year-old had a difficult summer with England at the World Cup, but looks to have put that behind him after his latest commanding performance for United. Kobbie Mainoo started against Sabah on Thursday (Picture: Getty) And former Red Devils midfielder Hargreaves was full of praise for Mainoo, insisting the academy graduate can become the heartbeat of United’s midfield and a world-class operator in years to come. ‘I’ve never seen Kobbie play bad,’ Hargreaves told TNT Sports. ‘Every time I watch him play football, I think, “How can somebody not play this young man?” ‘I just think he’s a fabulous football player. Academy-grown, didn’t cost a club a pound, and when you think about some of the fees that these players are going for. Mainoo has thrived under Michael Carrick’s tutelage (Picture: Getty) ‘Obviously, they signed Santos and Tielemans for 85 [million] combined. Baleba was probably 70million. What would Kobbie be worth? It’s worth more than them all. No disrespect to any of them, but I just love his game.’ Hargreaves continued: ‘I think he can do so much, and it only really depends on who he plays with and who plays next to him. But I think Kobbie can kind of do everything in there. ‘You can just pass him the ball anywhere at any time. Technically, just so gifted, glides with the ball. That’s what a Man United midfielder needs to do at all times. Obviously, with Bruno in front of him, whether he plays as a six or an eight, he’s what you build around. ‘He’s a star. I think he’s gonna be a superstar. He’s only 21 years old, and he plays like he’s 30. That’s how he plays football in the most stressful environment – just chilled. ‘United have got to find who’s going to be Kobbie’s partner because he’s going to be at this club hopefully for a very long time. ‘I think there’s a potential to be one of the best midfield players in the world, but it’s more about personnel and who plays alongside him to get the best out of his attributes.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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